![]() ![]() A layer of composite armour has been added to the front arc and maximum thickness is estimated to be around 600mm on the turret front, and around 450mm on the glacis plate. The turret and hull are of all-welded steel armour construction. Suspension is of the conventional torsion bar type and there are six rubber-tyred roadwheels on each side, the drive sprocket at the rear. The complete powerpack assembly can be removed in around 30 minutes and in field conditions. The layout of the Type 90-II is conventional, driver's compartment at the front, fighting compartment/turret in the centre, and power pack in the rear. This can be broken down as follows: 10% from the Type 59, 15% from the Type 69, and 20% from the Type 85/88C the remaining 55% being new components. ![]() The Type 90-II is not a totally new design with around 45% of its components coming from current designs. ![]() The tank has been produced in Pakistan as the Al-Khalid MBT since November 2001. During the 2001 Abu Dhabi Defence Exhibition, the tank was first revealed by NORINCO under its export name MBT2000. A second design powered by a Ukrainian-made 6TD 1,200hp engine later led to the introduction of the Type 90-IIM in 2000. Initially the French 1,500hp diesel V series engine was considered, but the project (known as Type 90-IIA) was later cancelled due to France joining the arms embargo imposed on Pakistan for its nuclear testing in 1998. The tank received extensive field testing but did not enter production due to lack of interest from either domestic or foreign customers.Ģ01 Institute and 617 Factory continued to improve the Type 90-II by incorporating the tank with a foreign-made engine with better performance and reliability. The tank was also much heavier than previous Chinese-made MBTs, suggesting a transformation of design principles in the Chinese tanks. The Type 90-II first revealed in 1992 featured a welded turret, a 125mm smoothbore gun with a Russian 2A46’s autoloader, and a 1,200hp diesel engine. ![]()
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